Hello Again
by KyuuHana
Summary: An old friend of the past comes back, asking for help from a certain swordsman and the rest of the crew. The evidence is clear, a kingdom uprising was in order, this should be no problem for the straw-hat crew, right? But how would this change the crew's dynamics? ZoroxOC
1. Prologue

Hey all, my first One Piece fan fiction in years, hopefully I do better this time then the last. I rewrote an old OC and came up with a more believable plotline this time around. To anyone who had read my old stuff... I am so sorry, thankfully I deleted it and no known traces remain of that garbage fire. Do people still do disclaimers? I don't own One Piece, it is property of Oda. Please be nice, I haven't written in years now and fingers crossed this is better... on to the fic?

* * *

_ "Hey... so this may sound like a weird question... but what do you wanna be when you grow up?" A young girl and boy sat in an alleyway, it was late in the night. What appears to be an eaten picnic is laid in front of them.  
"Huh? You mean like a dream?" He tilted his head in confusion. The blonde girl nodded to confirm.  
"Exactly! A dream!" Emerald eyes shone expectantly illuminated by the orange glow of the street lamp.  
"Heh... In that case there's no want, I will be the World's Greatest Swordsman!" The green haired boy declared firmly, fists clenched full of determination. The girl was silent at first, stunned, it wasn't long before she broke out in a bright smile and the smile turned to laughter. "What's so funny about that!?" She stopped and shook her head.  
"It's not funny, what's funny is that it's just such a you answer, Zoro!"Her smile beamed up at him. "If anything..." She paused. "It's...it's admirable, really!" He blushed, about to answer his thanks when she spoke again. "Though, you're gonna have to find a way to live besides bumming off your friends, hehe." He punched her in the arm.  
"That's a cheap shot...!" She punched him back.  
"Didn't anyone ever teach you not to hit girls...!" They laughed together, their times were always like this, messing with the other, thinking of the future, the past, what if's. Sometimes though it was quiet and that was fine too. He'd been abandoned by his parents and left to his own devices, and as for her... She'd never met her father as he left to sea when she was a baby. As for her mother, she had seemed well when she was younger, but had become catatonic in the last few years. She'd only survived off her mother's fortune, thankfully no one in the East Blue knew their name.  
"So, what about you, Sana? What's your dream?"  
"M-My dream? To find..." she'd begun mumbling. "To find my true love..." Part of her hoped he didn't hear. It was corny to her too, but it was the only known cure so far.  
"True love? Does something like that even exist? Hard to call that a dream." She sighed and pulled her knees into her chest, hiding her face.  
"I know it's lame... but..." She looked up. "I can't dream of anything grander until I find it... I need to find it..." Her face was flushed.  
"What makes this so important to you?" She sighed.  
"It's the only known cure... For...my disease."  
"Disease? Wait you're sick!?" She growled hitting him in the back of the head.  
"Do I look sick to you!?" He rubbed the back of his head where she made contact.  
"You didn't have to hit that hard! Ugh... this is why girls are such a pain." He was quiet for a moment. "Wait but you said you had a disease and that this dream of "true love" is the cure so what was it you meant then?"  
Another sigh. "I have what's called "Lover's Curse" it's a very rare disease that occurs at birth. These black lines that are growing up my arms and legs will eventually cover my whole body, after which they'll pull tighter, making for a slow, crushing, and painful death. I have medicine but it will only hold it off until my 25__th__ birthday. The only way to stop it is to have your true love by your side as it occurs." His eyes were wide.  
"That's... that's horrifying..."  
"Sorry to be a downer..." She hid her face back in her knees.  
"No... I'm glad you told me. Though it just means you need to find it, that way you can find your true dream, right? And you can watch me become the World's Greatest Swordsman!" He smiled at her. She lifted her head and nodded back, returning his smile.  
"Absolutely right! Umm... Listen Zoro, so you can move forward in your dream, I hear there's a mean dojo in the next town over... Why not take them on?"  
"You mean win, right?" He extended a fist to her, she met his back in a bump.  
"Right!"  
_**-  
** "Zoro..." She mumbled his name like a prayer in her sleep.  
"Oh ad-vis-er... 3" A man's voice echoed over her, her eyes snapped open as she tried to escape the owner of said voice. She clawed across the bed only to be pulled back by her long hair. "Now where do you think you're going." The man remained a firm hold on her hair, a sadistic smile played on his lips. He had tanned skin, sapphire blue eyes, and red hair. Wavy long bangs covered half of 1 eye in a side part, shaved short near the bottom and going longer further up. "You just said another man's name in your sleep, didn't you...?" He pulled her by her hair to the door, tears forming in her eyes. "Not just that... but it was the man here on this wanted poster, your childhood friend." He ripped the poster from the wall with his free hand before crumpling it into a ball and tossing it into the trash can. "I guess I'll have to remind you who you really belong to..." His voice took on a dark tone as he yanked her out of the room before closing the door.  
**-  
** Zoro opened his eyes, he'd had a dream about the past, about a friend he hadn't thought about in years now. Why did he dream about that memory, about her now of all times? He couldn't help but wonder what happened to her. She had visited him at the dojo a few times once he started training there, but then just kind of disappeared. He'd looked for her a few times but there were no traces to be found. Robin sat on the deck not to far from him reading a book, she glanced over.  
"So tell me, who is she."  
"Who?"  
"Sana, or maybe... True love?" His face flushed.  
"It's not like that."  
"Oh?"  
"Yeah, so leave it be."  
"Well at least tell me who she is..." He sighed.  
"Sana was a friend from the West Blue, she dreamed of finding her true love and went missing shortly after her mother passed away."  
"That's it?"  
"That's it."  
"Marimo talking about love? That wouldn't happen, he's not a charmer like me." Zoro grimaced as the crew's chef spoke. "By the way, Robin-Chan, lunch is ready!" He says lovingly to her. He then turns to Zoro. "Food for you too I guess."  
"Thank you very much, Sanji." Robin says walking down the stairs.  
"Honestly if women find you charming, I'm concerned for their safety." Zoro retorts.  
"What was that, you shitty Marimo!?"  
"You heard me."

* * *

"Nami, do we know anything about the next island?" Luffy asks chewing on the last piece of meat.  
"I was just about to report on that, and I'm sure you'll appreciate it. It's a neutral territory nicknamed Melodia. It's locals are mostly aspiring musicians, it said that there's always music playing on the island, and live shows are played every night. According to this it says you need a pass to get in to it's main event..." Nami responds, reading from a magazine.  
"So how do we get one of those pass things?"  
"It says that they are given out by the performers on the day of the event, they have a total of 10 passes they may give out on any given day, sign ups to participate take place the week before."  
"Sign ups?" Brook couldn't help but sound interested.  
"Yeah, the event plays out like a battle of sorts, they put on the best show they can and opponents get dropped until 1 performer stands. It also says that the Prince will sometimes participate and that his adviser plays near every night but often won't give out her passes till the end of the day. "Each Music Royale promises to be a different and unique show, show casing the best the island has to offer, may the best show win!""  
"Sounds like an adventure!" Franky began to get hyped as well.  
"The adviser here is pretty cute too... I have say she has some bold tattoo choices." Sanji commented.  
"Yeah, I mean who gets crossing black lines like that when you have a light skin tone... it's almost glaring."  
"Those actually aren't tattoos..." Chopper stated.  
"Huh? So then what are they?"  
Chopper went on to explain as Zoro's eye went wide. "Can I see that for a second?" He asked, Nami passed it his way. He froze at her image. "Shit... this what she disappeared for...?" There was no doubt, it was her, Sana.


	2. Well This Got Awkward

In the end he'd asked to keep the magazine for awhile, something about her picture in it had seemed off, even if he didn't know the exact reason. Of course someone had made the joke of him using it for "wanking material" to which Sanji had replied something about "protecting this pure angel from Marimo" though pure angel was not the term he'd use to describe her. He'd remembered being slightly irritated about the whole thing before eventually just stating that he knew her without elaborating further. To be honest, he hadn't really thought of anyone in that way. This wasn't to say he had no experience, however his only goal was becoming stronger, romance and sex would just complicate those goals. Though if he was honest with himself, she wasn't bad looking per say, she definitely had grown up and while she wasn't near as curvy as his fellow female crew mates, it wasn't like she had no curves at all. He grumbled in frustration for having the thought.  
When looking over the magazine again, not only was there the one photo, but there were multiple including with who he assumed was the Prince and an article talking about her and this Prince's relationship. Apparently there were rumors of them dating but with that were rumors of abuse. What struck him as odd was that they claimed she may be the abusive one, that she was using his power to achieve her goals. It just didn't sound right with what he knew of her, not to mention, in many of the pictures she'd had some form of injury, including a few with her left eye covered in bandages. The article went on to claim that these were from mistakes in training. He supposed this could be possible, though he seemed to remember her trying to join in the dojo's training once and losing matches left and right. _She must've gotten stronger or else she wouldn't be his adviser, right? _Rather then think on it further he decided a nap sounded good until they got there.  
He awoke to the sound of music as they pulled into shore, looking towards it, his eye widened as he grit his teeth, seeing the same prince from the photos. Why was the prince greeting them of all people? He seemed to be excited, hands and arms in the air waving, he was wearing light, thin, blue clothes, they actually reminded him a bit of their time in Alabasta though were closer to their women's clothes. Had he not read the article he might've mistaken him for a woman at first. The crew lowered the anchor, preparing things to stay in port until the log pose set.  
Stepping down and onto the pier they were greeting by the Prince. "Straw-hats! Welcome, we are honored to that we ended up being your next stop on your Grandline voyage." He bowed. "You're in luck, normally I wouldn't get to personally greet such famous pirates myself, but my adviser seems to be missing currently. Thankfully, my schedule for the day is currently empty."  
"The honor is all ours, beautiful miss!" Sanji knelt down before him kissing his hand.  
"While I appreciate the compliment I'm actually Calli, the Prince." He smiled back at him.  
"I'm so sorry." Sanji said before quickly leaving the vicinity to be sicked with himself and wash his lips. There was no way Zoro was gonna let him live this one down.  
"Is this whole island really dedicated to music!?" Luffy asked.  
"It sure is, you can always find someone practicing or working on their performances somewhere along-" Luffy rushed past him, running into town.  
"Allllllriiiiight!" And was gone just as quick.  
"The song playing is quite lovely, it's a really soft and light, is it always the same song?" Brooke asked.  
"Thank you," He smiles "We try to change up the songs as the day goes along, though during the Music Royale we like to play the performances live, that way even those who can't join get to still hear and participate in some way."  
"I knew you were a nice guy, Prince Calli!" Nami exclaimed, scooting closer to him. Though it was clear that her interest was in the gold and jewels around his neck. "Are those real sapphires?"  
"Absolutely, mined here on the island! Thank you for noticing." Nami's eyes sparkled.  
"So is there a future queen or is the position still open...?"  
"Not yet," He turned glaring at Zoro "but my heart is set on my dear, beautiful, insane adviser Sa-na." He smiled at Zoro as he elongated her name. It struck a bad chord in Zoro with how he'd said this particular sentence and the look he was getting. It was clear that Calli knew that Zoro and Sana were once close and he couldn't help but feel like he should be the last person to know that fact. There was also the way he'd called her insane, almost in a way of disbelieving and looking down on her. There was definitely something wrong here. "Zoro?" Calli looked to him, his head tilted, confused, it seemed he'd been talking to him.  
"Sorry, I missed that."  
"I was just saying, you and my Sana go back, right? How long has it been? At least 10 years since the last time you saw her."  
"Yeah, something like that."  
"She kind of just disappears, doesn't she? I keep thinking I may need to replace her soon..." His voice sounded dark and he had a disturbing grin in place before switching back to his previous light smile. "I'm kidding of course, I could never replace her!" He didn't trust this "Prince" at all.  
"Of course... I should go find our idiot captain before he causes problems." He waved dismissively as he walked away, the more distance the better. He in truth had one goal, find Sana and figure out what was really happening here.

* * *

Her breath was ragged as she ran and jumped across rooftops, down below she could see the guards chasing and calling after her, she'd have to be quicker to get away, it had already been three hours and she still hadn't shaken them off yet. Then again, wearing so much black she was beginning to over heat as well, though even if she hadn't, her skin would still cause the same issue. She wore a black tank top that clung to her due to the sweat, her long blonde hair trailed behind her as she jumped for the next rooftop, her mid calf boots catching and nearly making her slip, her major heat problem were the long finger-less black gloves and black thigh-highs, a pair of jean short shorts were her only real aid. Her belt pouch hitting her hip as she landed. Jumping again she slipped, she closed her eyes in fear as she began sliding down into the alleyway below where she was caught, held bridal style in someone's arms.  
"I'm so sorry, and thank you..." She looked up. "Zoro!?" Her cheeks flushed, this was so embarrassing...  
"Troublesome as usual I see." How was she this light, was she not eating right?  
"Like you're one to talk, who was it that became a pirate again?"  
"Who cares, so long as I complete my dream, right?"  
"While this is a nice visit and all, think you could set me down."  
"Major, I found the adviser! She's with a green-haired man!" a guardsman called out.  
"Fuck, nevermind, run and try to find somewhere to hide."  
"You think!?" He shouted at her, already two steps ahead of her and running. "So mind telling me why if you're an adviser that you need to get away from your Prince and lover?"  
"Oh my God! You really believe what you see in tabloids?"  
"He called you his." She temporarily froze in his arms, a chill running down her spine. She quickly pulled her self together putting on a fake bravado.  
"He wishes, but not happening! After all he has no idea..."  
"On?"  
"We can talk about this later!" The guards continued to follow after them and while Zoro was putting distance, this wouldn't work long term, they needed to hide fast. It wasn't long before a dark, cornered alleyway was spotted, crates lining some of the walls and hiding a part of the alley. It would work but with how short the crates were stacked it would require some creativity. "Zoro, you see what I see?"  
"On it!" He turned into it, getting behind a small stack. He leaned against the wall and set her down. While there might have been other ways to blend in, this one was the first thought to occur to her.  
"Hey Zoro, they may see, us here, at least our outlines and they may try to ask questions" The footsteps drew closer and louder. "But I have a crazy, dumb idea." She leaned up against him, pressing her lips to his. Shock was the first thought to go though his head, followed shortly by confusion, what was the idea behind this? How was kissing him going to make them not ask questions? Worse, why was this a welcome change? A guard stepping in the alley way called out to them.  
"Excuse me, have you seen Lady Sana come through here with a green-haired man?" Unable to make out their features, he takes a step closer. Zoro's arms wrap around her waist as he deepens the kiss. Whatever her idea was here, she must have had some reason to think it would work, he decided to trust her. His tongue ran across her bottom lip as she gave him access, their tongues moved against each others as the kiss grew even deeper. Scenes of his past flashed through her head that she ignored. Her arms wrapped around his neck as fingers slid into his short green-hair. It felt way too good for either of them.  
"Hey! I'm talking to you!" He took another step towards them before another guard clasped a hand on his shoulder.  
"Leave them be, their clearly young and in love. They aren't gonna notice anything but the other right now and their raging hormones." The other guard chuckled as he said this, pulling along the first guard and walking away. Somehow her dumb idea had actually worked. She was the first to move away, both of their cheeks flushed, panting for air, she leaned against the other side of the alley. Her eyes were slightly wet with desire, his filled with lust, this particular experience new to both of them.  
"I'm so sorry..." She said, after pulling herself together. "But somehow... it worked..."  
"Yeah... it did... and don't be, it wasn't entirely unwelcome." What even was that? His instinct had definitely kicked in, he knew that much. Her lips had been soft, mouth warm, her chest and body had been pressed flushed hard against him. At this point, all he could think was that he wanted it to continue, he wanted to push her against the wall and- He'd begun to get an erection. No, he needed to calm down! This was not like him, I mean, this was Sana, the same weird girl who used to eat snails and think it was normal!  
"That's a relief... though I guess we're over due for a talk, huh...?" In more ways than one...


	3. Chapter 3

Hey all, so I hate to do this to those following the story here but this is probably gonna be the last update on Fan Fiction... but if you'd still like to follow the story I do have more up on Archive Of Our Own. I'm doing this for a few reasons, one of which is due to how Fan Fiction formats things, it really throws me off when I'm editing chapters, another reason is due to story elements that I can't do on Fan Fiction. Since the last time I posted a fic, they have changed some rules that directly interfere with the story that I didn't realize when I first published this. For example, I cannot use song lyrics or a line from them, I also cannot depict the romance past a certain point. While I know others do this, I personally don't want to risk my account. Thank you to those who have been reading and if you want to find it on Archive I use the same username.

* * *

They sat in silence for a long moment after, both hesitant to speak, unsure of what had just occurred between them. Was there some emotions that needed to be discussed? Or was it that they got lost in the act. Zoro was angry at himself for losing control; Sana for taking control of her childhood friend, fear also gripped her heart. If he branded a C around her shoulder just for mumbling his name, how much worse would it be for kissing him? He'd maybe even kill her this time.

Tired of the silence, Zoro spoke first, asking the first question that came to mind. "What happened to you...?" Half was about the four scars on her left eye/ burn on her shoulder, half was how she'd gotten here and why she left.

"It's a complicated story..." She sighed. "Truth be told... I didn't want to leave, you were my only friend and it made me happy to see you training, even if the others at the dojo thought I was strange." She laughed. "Do you... do you remember the day my mom died?" Her eyes looked lost.

"Yeah... I couldn't get you out of your house, all I could hear was you crying."

She nodded. "But you still got in and told me everything would be ok... that Sensei was kind and might take me in." She crossed her legs, straightening her back, head looking to the sky. "You have no idea how happy that made me... I was tired of being alone." She sighed. "I've wished everyday since then that it had happened."

"That was the last time I saw you."

"But it wasn't the last time I saw you..." She smiled, looking at him. "I planned on saying goodbye, ya know?" She looked down.

"Why didn't you?"

She laughed, her eyes tearing up. "Because I felt like I no longer had a place in your world. You made new friends, I hardly saw you... When I went to say goodbye, I saw you with that girl, sparing, talking, and I knew she was special because I'd never seen you happier or more yourself. I couldn't give you that." She began crying. "I couldn't help watching you two for awhile, and before I knew it two of the boys showed up and told me you were together. That strange looking girls like me had no place in your life... I didn't want to ruin your new life, so I'm sorry."

Why would they lie to her, he'd had feelings for Kuina, sure, but not in the way she was thinking. "You didn't, and you wouldn't. They lied to you and were wrong. You were just as much my friend as she was. There are differences to what type of friendships I shared with you both, but one doesn't invalidate the other." He was right, she knew he was right. Wiping away tears she felt like such a child.

"I'm sorry... you're right"

"Stop saying sorry all the time, you didn't know and were tricked, that's not entirely on you."

"You're right... I guess I should get back to the answer of your question." This conversation had gotten super sidetracked from it's original intent. "The night my mother died, after you'd left, my father showed up. He said that he'd heard about my mother's condition and tried to make it sooner, that he should have been there for her as her husband. He told me that he was going to take me with him, teach me to better use my mother's style and that I'd need to be strong."

"Your father brought you here then?"

"Yeah, I can't give the full reason, but I'll tell you what I can." She sighed. "So after I left with my father he'd told me we were going to the Grandline, that though I was a child, not to be scared. That we'd be sailing for a few months even with an eternal pose guiding us and he trained me further in my mothers style. Sailing the Grandline was terrifying and wondrous all at the same time, and I wanted more of it. He'd told me that I was to be the adviser to a young prince in a new, upcoming kingdom."

"Calli?" She nodded.

"His mother wanted him to grow up with an adviser his age who could understand him. They wanted someone kind, and loyal. She never really liked me much... told him that I would be his from that day forward." Her eyes took on a profound sadness that he couldn't place. "My father and her felt like it was the best choice, for him and for me. I looked after him and this kingdom the best I am able to since then, training and getting stronger so that I can protect this place. I serve as it's adviser and military general."

"Why you...?"

"That's the part I can't discuss, my apologies. So what about you, what caused you to leave the island?"

"Well it's not like I was getting stronger there."

"That's true, especially with your strongest rival gone." She looked to him. But wait, he hadn't said anything about Kuina's death, had he? He couldn't recall but he must have if she knew about it. "What made "Pirate Hunter Zoro" turn pirate?"

"That is also a complicated story." He told her about his first meeting with Luffy, how he'd been sentenced to death and he saved him, that she shouldn't ever borrow money from Nami and how Luffy saved her from Arlong's crew. Usopp and Luffy's fight over the Merry. About his attempt to become the world's best at the Baratie and to be aware of the Love Cook if they should ever meet. He talked about Kuina's look alike and their meetings, their entry to the Grandline. How great of a doctor Chopper was and knew. About how Franky was once their enemy, Robin's attempt of self- sacrifice. That Brook was a musician as well. He spoke of the rest of the crew like they were family. That they sailed with a Princess for a time but couldn't give exact details, that they fought Baroque Works. The stories were amazing, even if she'd heard some before in rumors. She wished she could be there with his crew, away from this place.

"I wish I could've been there, your life sounds like it's been amazing." She pulled her knees to her chest and looked down.

"Things haven't been good for you?"

"No, no they haven't. I can't talk about it here, and if it's alright with you... I'd like to meet with your crew and Captain." It shocked him how direct to the point this had been, everything else she had been a bit... elusive about.

"Why?" She points up to a corner of the alleyway, following her finger he saw a video transponder snail. "I'm surprised he hasn't sent a guard yet."

"Likely he hasn't noticed or has been showing around your crew in my place. The coast should be clear, I haven't heard the guard in a bit now. The sooner we get back to your ship the better."

"Oi, is anyone there!" Zoro called up to the deck. Chopper poked his head over the side.

"Zoro! Welcome back."

"Can you throw down the ladder." Chopper threw it over the side. "Thank you" They climbed up onto the deck. Chopper looked over at Sana.

"Is that the girl from the magazine? The one Franky said you were borrowing for "wanking material"?" Zoro blushed. That's right, it had been Franky who'd made the joke...

"Oh? Is that what you were using it for?" Sana snickered elbowing him in the side. She began giggling.

"Shut up, both of you!"

"I'm just fucking with you. I know you don't have those kinds of feelings for me." She grinned. Had she always been this infectious...? It seemed like this was the most she'd smiled in years, at least this was the feeling he got.

"To answer if it's the same girl, she is. Chopper, this is Sana, a childhood friend. Sana, this Chopper, he's our crew's doctor." She looked at Chopper for the first real time.

"He's a reindeer!?"

"So what if I am!?" Chopper shouted back.

"I'm just surprised, you're just so cute!" She hugged him. "And soft."

He pulled himself from her. "As if I'd be happy getting a compliment from someone like you!" He blushed, dancing back and forth.

"Oi, Chopper, has our idiot captain returned yet?" Zoro asked.

"Not yet, I thought you went to get him."

"As you can see I ran into a bit of complication..."

"What's all the shouting about?" Sanji walked out of the kitchen, eyes turning to hearts as he saw Sana. "My dear! No one told me we had the presence of such a lovely, unique angel!" He rushed over to her, taking her hand and wrapping an arm around her waist, his face close to her's. She froze, beginning to tremble in his arms. He wasn't Calli... He wasn't him... but fear still paralyzed her, tears in her eyes. "I'm Sanji, ah what's wrong?"

She pushed herself away from him, panting, trembling. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry... it's not you..."

"Marimo, what'd you do to her!?"

"I/ He didn't do anything!" They both shouted.

"I'm sorry but please just don't touch me..." She slowly regained herself. "I'm the one who's broken..." It clicked instantly in Zoro's head, the way she flinched, the sorry's, the hesitation unlike the girl he knew then. It wasn't Calli who was being abused, it was Sana.

"He's abusing you..." No, no, no, no, no one could know, especially not him. She could find a way out, she just had to deal a little longer.

"What! Who is, what happened!?" Sanji's concerned peaked. Chopper looked around confused.

"No! No, you're wrong...! Both of you are wrong..." She shook her head, trembling even more. Hands over her ears to block it out. Zoro grabbed both of her hands by the wrists, pinning them above her, tears evident, lips shaking in a repressed scream. Her wrists and cuts beneath aching.

"Zoro!" Sanji shouted to him as Chopper transformed, holding him back.

"Sanji, we may need to know if something is happening here. Zoro may be the best bet."

"Why are you lying to me!?" He was clearly angry, she was going through all this and yet she was still protecting that... "Prince". There was absolutely no logical reason he could think of to do so... So why!?

"Please... let me go." Her tone wavering. This wasn't how she wanted to face this situation.

"Not until you tell me what's happening."

"Calli... He's not the prince people think he is!" She'd broken easier then expected. "He's been using me and a private team to fight personal wars and grudges... He's hidden it from his people and there are no repercussions as there's nothing left when we're done... His mother told him I was his to abuse and he took it literally... I didn't want to! I don't want this, but his power is too strong... and I fear for my life. I'm not the same fearless girl you used to know! I've become a coward!" He released her wrists, she collapsed to the ground sobbing. His anger boiled, it all made sense now. He felt his skin prickling as his nerves felt like they were on fire. He wasn't sure that he would be able to resist the urge to kill the bastard if he saw him.

"Sana..." Chopper and Sanji were both in shock

"Please, I need help... I know I'm not who I was, so please don't hate me... I really can't do this alone... that's why I wanted to meet Luffy and the rest of you. I'm so sorry." She placed her palms on the deck and lowered herself in a low bow. "Please, if you can help me..." Her breath was so shaky as she clenched her hands into fists, nails digging into the wood of the deck. "For a such a selfish reason, a reason that I know can get all of us killed, or place and raise bounties on all of us."

"That doesn't make your suffering ok either though. You've been protecting that man who's abused you to protect the people here, haven't you?" Sanji stated lighting up a cigarette. She sat up and nodded.

"There's no snail here. I need to know why did they choose you to be that prick's adviser?" Zoro asked.

"Me and Calli... we're siblings." She breathed deeply. "We aren't lovers, he's my younger half-brother."


End file.
